


Interdependence

by barricadeofmedusa



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Multi, Pre-Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-22 00:52:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2488373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barricadeofmedusa/pseuds/barricadeofmedusa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Combeferre, Courfeyrac and Enjolras have issues. They frequently sleep in the same bed. They take over each other's wardrobes. They take up so much space in each other's lives that sometimes it's impossible to tell where habits began. And they're not even dating. Yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interdependence

Courfeyrac is a cuddler. Enjolras is not, and has a tendency to kick people away when he doesn’t want to be cuddled. So the first time they sleep in the same bed, Combeferre ends up squashed against the wall with Courfeyrac half on top of him and Enjolras sprawled across the rest of the bed. Combeferre sleeps in the middle the next time – ‘Like a mediator’ he jokes - and then somehow they just end up with designated sides of the bed. They start off tentatively trying to give each other space (and failing halfway through when Courfeyrac’s subconscious boa constrictor tendencies kick in) but now they just get in bed and flop on top of each other. Enjolras is perfectly happy now sleeping with an arm flopped over Combeferre. But when he’s sick, Enjolras turns into a possessive cuddler to rival Courfeyrac. And those nights are possibly the worst because Combeferre will either have to put up with being in the middle of that tug of war, or somehow change places with one of the others. The fact that they all have guest bedrooms or spare beds never even comes into the picture.

Combeferre complains about their more annoying bedtime habits:

-        the fact that Enjolras and Courfeyrac snore in counterpoint

-        how Courfeyrac rolls over in the middle of the night and then pulls Combeferre with him so suddenly that he ends up on top of Courfeyrac

-        the two of them either hogging the pillows or splitting the blankets right down the middle

-        or alternatively, being so cuddly that he’s squashed in between two furnaces and near buried under the duvets and can’t move

But if he’s being honest with himself, Combeferre doesn’t really mind at all, and the complaining is more an affectionate teasing. He wouldn’t have it any other way and well, to be honest they’re all a little co-dependent at this point. So much so that when Courfeyrac is sleeping alone, he squashes up against the wall; Combeferre’s bed includes two large body pillows and Enjolras’ has extra blankets because he just gets cold easily. They all find it a little hard sleeping alone.

Courfeyrac shares a family apartment in the Marais with his brother (and soon to be sister-in-law). Half of Courfeyrac’s wardrobe space is actually made up of Enjolras and Combeferre’s clothing. They have a shelf in his bathroom. They even have their own matching mugs in the kitchen. He has spare chargers for their phones and laptops, spare house keys and even Combeferre’s backup pair of glasses.

Combeferre keeps a tin of Courfeyrac’s favourite tea in his pantry, and always makes sure he’s stocked up on light soy milk for Enjolras that his flatmate knows not to touch. There are three different types of painkillers in his medicine drawer reflecting their personal preferences, and a spare Ventolin inhaler _just in case_.

Enjolras lives alone, but has three toothbrushes in the bathroom, not including the unopened ones for guests. There’s hair product that he doesn’t even use, a list of allergies on the fridge and a pile of pyjamas that have been worn by Combeferre and Courfeyrac respectively so many times that he feels wrong lending them to other people who stay the night now.

They have a joint collection of books, DVDs and CDs which just floats between them and could be at anyone’s apartment – except for favourites in which case they’ll have multiple copies. Combeferre keeps a record of what they own and who had it last, and they now have to double check with him before they buy a copy of something because of that one time when they ended up with seven copies of the same book because Courfeyrac bought three without realising that Enjolras had bought them all copies ten minutes earlier and _Combeferre already had a copy and you would have known if you checked the list silly_.

They end up buying things for each other and that’s how they end up with matching mugs, notebooks, shirts, ties…and friendship bracelets ( _It was 3 for €10. That’s clearly a sign! I mean friendship bracelets normally come in pairs, right?_ )

It’s at Courfeyrac’s brother’s wedding that Enjolras finds out Courfeyrac is actually _de_ Courfeyrac. He shouts loud enough that Combeferre is wincing and Courfeyrac is sure the entire city hall heard them. Enjolras stubbornly doesn’t talk to him throughout the ceremony until Courfeyrac bribes him with lasagne. Enjolras caves, or pretends to. He had no intention of following through, not really, and especially not with the religious ceremony and reception still to go. (Combeferre pretends to be shocked for Enjolras’ sake. He’s known since Courfeyrac lost his passport and asked him to sign as a guarantor on his new forms.)

After years of teasing, it’s Courfeyrac and Combeferre who fall into a relationship first. They tell Enjolras a few weeks in, clutching at each other’s hands for support. Both of them are absolutely terrified of messing up the group dynamic. Enjolras just blinks and says he already knew. _You’re really not subtle, you know?_ And…really, nothing changes except that Courfeyrac and Combeferre kiss and cuddle and Enjolras still cuddles but leaves the room when the heavy petting starts.

Courfeyrac waits two months before he tells his family he’s dating Combeferre. His father smiles and his mother cocks her head to one side and says “Does that mean you’re dating Enjolras too?” Courfeyrac chokes on his water and splutters, tripping over his words in an attempt to correct her.

“Oh.” His mother says, and goes quiet for the rest of the Skype call.

He spends a full ten minutes panicking when they end the call, going back over his memories of the past two months of dating Combeferre. And now that he’s thinking about it, he’s somewhat attracted to Enjolras too. No, more than that. He _loves_ Enjolras too. He calls Combeferre immediately, and blurts it out as soon as he picks up.

“Ferre, what do we do? I think we’ve been dating Enjolras all along too and now I’m thinking about him in bed and I’m not cheating I’d never do that but it’s _Enjolras_? Who my parents think we’ve been dating?”

There’s radio silence when he finishes talking and then, slowly, Combeferre says ‘So we are. Better make it official then. Right, Enjolras?”

And that’s when Courfeyrac remembers that they had dinner plans which meant Combeferre would have put him on speakerphone on the drive over after picking Enjolras up from work. He hangs up in alarm.

A minute later, he gets a Snapchat photo from Enjolras, who is blushing bright red with one hand over his face. All it says, is _Boyfriends?_

Courfeyrac scrambles to screenshot it.


End file.
